GAZPROM - With LNG demand on the rise, Gazprom is making further efforts in this line of business.

PLATTS - Germany's total primary energy consumption for 2017 is forecast to rise by 0.8%, mainly due to strong economic growth, with oil and gas further boosting their market share to 58.3% of the energy mix, German research group AG Energiebilanzen (AGEB) said Thursday.

BLOOMBERG - Al-Falih wouldn’t rule out buying LNG from Russia, which this month opened a new plant in the Arctic, although he cautioned it wasn’t the most economical option at the moment.

REUTERS - Japan’s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imports from the United States are expected to double in 2017 to a record and account for around for around half of its total purchases, government and shipping data showed.

API - Total petroleum deliveries in November rose to 19.9 million barrels per day. This was the strongest November monthly demand since 2007. Cumulatively through the first 11 months of the 2017, total domestic petroleum deliveries rose by 0.9 percent, which exceeded demand growth in 2016 despite higher prices.

NPD - Preliminary production figures for November 2017 show an average daily production of 1 813 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate, which is a decrease of 102 000 barrels per day compared to October.

NPD - On Tuesday, the licensees, led by operator VNG, submitted a Plan for Development and Operation (PDO) for Fenja in the Norwegian Sea. Investments are expected to total approx. NOK 10 billion.

NPD - On Tuesday, operator Repsol submitted a new Plan for Development and Operation (PDO) for the Yme field in the North Sea. More eight billion kroner will be invested in the development. The planned start-up is 2020.

EIA - Crude oil production from the major US onshore regions is forecast to increase 94,000 b/d month-over-month in January to 6,408 million b/d, gas production to increase 764 million cubic feet/day to 63,030 million cubic feet/day .

U.S. Rig Count is down 1 rig from last week to 930, with oil rigs down 4 to 747, gas rigs up 3 to 183, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged. Canada Rig Count is up 19 rigs from last week to 238, with oil rigs up 22 to 134 and gas rigs down 3 to 104.